Kraków Cloth Hall

In the central point of the city of Krakow, you can find the majestic building of the Cloth Hall, which decorates the Main Market Square. Built in the thirteenth century as two rows of stone stalls, contemporary architecture with the culture of the Renaissance reconstruction by Italian masters and the nineteenth century Polish artists. A visit to the Cloth Hall, is a must-see excursion that attract tourists from all over the world.

From stone stalls to the pearl of Krakow’s architecture

The history of the pearl of Krakow culture dates back to the 13th century, when it was the national row of stall architecture that formed a street in the middle of the market square. Its contemporary style, Sukiennice owes to the arrival of the sixteenth century masters of architecture, came after Queen Bona, wife of the polish King Sigismund I the Old, incl. sculptors Santi Gucci and Jan Maria Padovano. A characteristic motif from this period is an arcaded attic masking the roof, topped with a fancy crest with sculptures of mascarons.

What awaits for the tourists

Another renovation and operation took place in the 1870s. The Cloth Hall gained ogival arcades, which from then housed shops and cafes. It was then that Sukiennice also acquired a Polish gallery, where ona can admire canvass by great artists Jacek Malczewski or Jan Matejko. I did not break the stall from there, which until now had been covering the ground floor. However, instead of cloth, you will find there souvenirs related to the culture and art of Krakow and Lesser Poland, as well as beautiful jewelry and handicrafts.
It is also worth adding that in the underground part there is a branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow, popularly known as the basement of the Market Square. The underground museum awaits with original medieval structures exposed during archaeological works, as well as modern multimedia exhibitions of extraordinary educational value.